June 14, 1977

A Report on the Legal Status of Homemakers in Virginia Was Published

This report, published in June 1977 by the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, reviewed the laws of Virginia in regards to the rights of married or once married women, who were not employed outside of the home. The report covered such issues as property ownership of married and widowed women, domestic violence, and divorce settlements. Women's rights were hotly debated in the 1970s. The Equals Rights Amendment (ERA), which forbade discrimination based on gender in the United States, was approved by Congress in 1972, but was not ratified by the states.